The present invention relates to exercise machines, and more specifically to a swim stroke exercise device.
In order for people to more conveniently maintain regular exercise programs, a large number of in-home exercise devices have been developed to enable these people to exercise in their homes. These machines have been developed to simulate a wide variety of methods of exercise, including running, rowing, cross-country skiing and weight lifting.
A number of exercise devices have also been developed to allow an individual to exercise by simulating a swimming motion or stroke. These devices generally include a bench mounted to a support frame on which the individual may place his body while performing the exercise. Opposite the bench, the exercise device has a resistance mechanism including a pair of hand grips. The individual utilizing the device grasps the hand grips and pulls on them in a simulated swimming stroke motion against the resistance provided by the resistance mechanism. These devices may also include attachments which enable a person to exercise his legs in conjunction with the motion of his arms against the resistance mechanism. Some examples of exercise devices that simulate swimming motions are disclosed in Reeves U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,513, Rodgers, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,450, Glavin U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,426, Kennedy U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,363 and Doane U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,591.
Some other types of exercise machines that have been developed utilize a number of different types of resistance mechanisms to simulate more than one type of exercise. One such machine is disclosed in Sleamaker U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,251. The resistance provided by the machine during the exercise motion comes from a resistance mechanism disposed at the front of the machine. The resistance mechanism can take a variety of forms, including a magnetic (eddy current) resistance unit that creates variable input-responsive resistance during the exercise. With this unit, a conductive disk turns in response to a rotatable shaft on the front post of the machine which is rotated by the motion of the exercising individual. A stationary disk supporting spaced magnets creates magnetic flux lines that are cut by the rotation of the conductive disk to create a torque resistance proportional to the number of flux lines, the radius and the speed of rotation of the conductive disk and inversely proportional to the resistance of the conductive disk. The resistance provided by the unit is transferred to the individual performing a swimming motion on the machine through a pair of pull cables connected to the resistance mechanism. When the individual performs an exercise motion and pulls on the cables, the resistance unit provides resistance against the extension of the cables by the individual to exercise the individual""s muscles.
While exercise machines such as those illustrated in the above-mentioned patents allow individuals to exercise in almost any location by performing a simulated swimming motion, these machines do not allow an individual to vary the amount of resistance provided by the machine. Thus, in order to obtain a more vigorous workout using the machine, the individual only has the options of either increasing the amount of time spent exercising, or increasing the number of repetitions of the exercise motion performed on the machine to vary the intensity of the workout.
Furthermore, each of the above exercise machines provides a continuous level of resistance throughout the entire swim stroke motion. This resistance can cause significant problems during the return or recovery portion of the swim stroke because no major muscles can act against the resistance provided by the machine. As a result, the machine can seriously injure an individual using the machine during the recovery portion of the swim stroke.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a swim stroke exercise machine including a resistance mechanism that enables an individual to easily adjust the resistance provided by the mechanism. It is also desirable that the mechanism be adjustable in a variety of ways in order to provide the individual using the exercise machine with a large number of resistance options when exercising on the machine. It is still also desirable to develop an exercise machine in which the resistance provided during the recovery portion of the exercise motion is greatly reduced or eliminated to prevent injury to the individual using the machine.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise machine that simulates a swimming stroke and includes an adjustable resistance mechanism that enables an individual to select one of multiple resistance levels when exercising on the machine.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an exercise machine that enables additional resistance levels to be added to the machine by the configuration of various components of the resistance mechanism.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an exercise machine that allows for quick and easy adjustment of the resistance level provided by the resistance mechanism on the machine.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an exercise machine that does not provide any resistance during the recovery portion of the exercise motion to avoid causing injury to the individual using the machine.
The exercise machine of the present invention enables an individual to exercise by simulating a swimming motion. The machine includes a longitudinal base having a rear frame assembly attached to one end. The rear frame assembly includes a support structure having a pair of braces extending upwardly from the base and a cushioned support board positioned on the braces opposite the base on which an individual places his or her body when utilizing the machine.
The base also includes a front frame assembly opposite the rear frame assembly. The front frame assembly extends from the base generally parallel to the rear frame assembly and has a bottom end attached to the base and a top end opposite the bottom end, on which is secured a crossbeam.
A resistance mechanism is attached to the front frame assembly of the machine to provide resistance to an individual exercising on the machine. The resistance mechanism includes at least one roller assembly rotatably secured to the bottom end of the front frame assembly. The roller assembly includes a drive shaft extending from one end on which is disposed a drive pulley. The shaft is connected to the roller assembly by a one-way roller clutch that enables the roller assembly to rotate independently of the drive shaft in one direction, and in concert with the shaft in the opposite direction. A resistance device is disposed on the front frame assembly above the roller assembly and includes a mag pulley connected to the resistance device by an output shaft. The mag pulley is disposed directly above the drive pulley, and a resilient belt-like member is trained about the mag pulley and the drive pulley in order to transfer the resistance provided by the resistance device through the mag pulley to the drive pulley, drive shaft and roller assembly. Both the drive pulley and the mag pulley may have a staggered or stepped configuration. This configuration of each pulley allows the belt-like member to be positioned at different locations on each pulley to increase or decrease the resistance provided by the resistance device to the roller assembly.
In order to transfer the resistance provided by the resistance device on the roller assembly to the individual performing the exercise, an elongate member is attached at one end to the roller assembly. The elongate member winds about the roller assembly and extends upwardly from the roller assembly, and passes through a rotatable member secured to the crossbeam at the top end of the front frame assembly. Opposite the roller assembly, the elongate member terminates in a handle that is grasped by the individual when performing an exercise motion on the machine.
When an individual simulates a swimming motion on the machine, the individual pulls on the elongate member such that the elongate member unwinds from its position around the roller assembly. The rotation of the roller assembly rotates the drive shaft, the drive pulley, the mag pulley and the output shaft against the resistance provided by the resistance device.
Also, as the individual pulls on the elongate member, unwinding the member from the roller assembly by rotating the roller assembly, the rotation of the roller assembly winds a spring assembly disposed at one end of the roller assembly. When an individual has completed a simulated swim stroke, the spring mechanism acts to rotate the roller assembly in the opposite direction to rewind the elongate member about the roller assembly, preparing the roller assembly to provide resistance upon initiation by the individual of the next simulated swim stroke motion. The roller clutch disengages the drive shaft from the roller assembly while the elongate member is rewound on the roller assembly, preventing the drive shaft from rotating with the roller assembly and providing resistance from the resistance device against the bias of the spring assembly.